KNOWLEDGEBASE - ARTICLE #29

Why does Prism 3 (Windows) freeze or crash when I work on a graph or layout?

Consult this reference if the crash lands you on a "blue screen", a.k.a. "blue screen of death". Otherwise, read on.

Freezing when working with images in Prism, particularly when you click the Gallery button... ...to display thumbnail previews of all the graphs or layouts in the project, usually implicates the system's video driver. Video drivers are very complex software, and they tend to be buggy. Here are three things to try:

  1. On Windows 95, 98, ME, or XP (but not NT or 2000), reduce the graphics acceleration. To navigate to the proper point,
    • For XP, display the Control Panel, choose the "Settings" tab, click "Advanced", and choose the "Troubleshoot" tab.
    • For older systems, click "Start.. Settings.. Control panel.. System.. Performance.. Graphics".
    Change the acceleration to a lower setting. Reboot your system.

  2. Try installing an updated or different video driver, available free on the Microsoft or computer manufacturer's web site.

  3. Adjust the optional settings on the display driver. One Prism user found that Prism always crashed when he tried to view a graph gallery. The problem was resolved, at least on that machine, by increasing the number of colors displayed on the screen ("Start.. Settings.. Control panel.. Display..").

After a crash, it's always helpful to remove the stray temporary files. You can read further details here.

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